Dyeing machine



July 10, 1945. A.-J. EMERSON DYEING MACHINE Filed May 24, 1945 //2 e or ARTHURLLEMERsSM 05654550 5) JANEF EMEEJ'UN EXECUTR/X ik/ 0F; 6

Patented July 10, 1945 l g STATES T ."OFFI'C-E I DYEING MACHINE Arthur-:1. Emerson-deceased, late of Utica, N. Y., by Jane F. Emerson, executrix, Marshall Town-F ship, oneida County, N. Yl, as'si-gnor of one half to J. Anna. AinsWorth, Utica, ,1\T. Y.-, and

one-half V to W. Chase Young, New Hartford, N. Y., and Theodore Steinhorst, Utiea, N. Y., as

trustee's J Application May-"24, 1943, Serial No. 488,125.

' ('01.. some) 8 Claims.

"This invention relates to winding and dyeing machines of the type disclosed in nins worth Pat ent No. 1,348,974 issued August 1920., and the Coleman Patent No. 1583,2577 issued May 4-, 1 926. i In the machines 01 this character a tubular reservoir for holding dye is used in which, at spaced apart distances, openings are made in the upper side of the tube, and-" a rotatably mounted dye absorbing member is used at each or said openings, extending at its lower portion into dye in the reservoir and at its upper poitio'n passing through the opening anda short distance above the upper side or the tubular reservoir.

in ractice the tubular reservoir with the sew eral dye units mounted thereupon used in knitting mills for winding yarn onto bobbins for use with knittin machines; one of the dye absorb ing members mounted upon and extending into the tube is provided for each bobbin wound and the yam threads aireeaoh guided to move over its respective dyeing member, and mechanism is provided for periodically moving the yarn into contact engagement with said dye member as it moves there'past to make a wiping contact during the time the yarn and dyeing member are in engagement.

In this manner the yarn is intermittently or random dyed. The patent to Coleman, No. 1,588,577, above mentioned, shows this method or process of periodically moving theyarn into wiping contact engagement withits dye member, as does also the previously mentioned Ainsiworth Patent No. 1,348,974.

The present .invention is directed to useful improvements over that shown in the patent to Coleman No. 1,583,577, being directed particw larly to structure and meansiby whichthe dyeing units mounted uponand extending into the tubular reservoir may be readily detached and taken from said reservoir "whenever in need :of repair, replacement or for anyother reason. The-previs ous structures .whichhave been used, whilepram tic-a1 .and satisfactory in use while inoperation, have been difficult in some respects upon its being required that one of the dyeing .units be removed and replaced by another. Undersuch circumstances itispneeessary to stopthe winding machines, along one side of which there might be twenty or .insome cases even forty ibobbizis being simultaneously wound withthe dyeucarry ing tube having thereon a dyeing unit for each bobbin wound, all winding being-stopped for the time necessary to remove and replace a unit. With the structures previously 'iisedsuch time. or removal and replacement .llias been relatively long; and the present invention is concerned with improvements whereby such removal and relacement or the unit is done much more rapidly with the neeessity of stopping the machine in its operation only a "very snort time as Compared. to

hours required with previous constructions. with the present inventionit is necessar merely to remove a few screws iron releasing a cover place our an opening at whien the unit to be removed is located and other screws for disconnecting the unit which may then be removed vv itl io'ut further work, replacing it with a spare unit; the replaoement taking'but a few moments, the detective unit being taken away for discarding or for repair and reconditioning.

To these ends the invention has been made whiehis d-isolo'se'd in the following description, taken in connection :with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. l is a fragmentary central vertical longitudinal section through the dye reservoir substantially on the plane of line |+l of Fig. 2,

looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, and

Fig. 2' a transverse section thrgughflie tubular dye reservoir substantially at the plane of one of the several zdyeihg units mounted thereon;

Like reference charaoters referto like parts in the different figures .of the drawing.

llhe dye holding reservoir is an elongated-tube .l havin'galength substantially equalize the length :of the winding machine with which it is used. .Ateazohzencl it is closed by a cap2. In the upper side relativplyiiarge openings-.3 are madeat spoiled intervals in ;correspondenee to the number of bobbins that the winding machine winds on a side thereof. :Said various openings, the partial covers therefor and the units associated there:- with are duplicates; .Each of the openings is partially covered "by a ,metal plate .4 of proper curved rorm,.eaon of said plates having in turn a smaller opening J5 through which the upper por 11. 9.31 Ofthe immediate .dyle carrying member or diskproi ots .asawill beilater described.

W y invention ioreach of thedyeing um'ts fi'iie iti upn rting plate or leg 6 .of relatively tube reaching nearly to the bottom thereof, as shown in Fig. 2.

On said supporting leg 6 at an upper portion thereof a dyeing wheel is mounted for rotation. The detailof such mounting isnotimportant but as an example a sleeve bearing 8 extends through its respective supporting member 6 at an upper removed by withdrawing the screws holding it in part thereof, in which an enlarged portion 9 of a shaft is mounted for rotation. From the enlarged portiOn 9 a less diameter sectionlfl extends to one side on which the dyeing disk II is permanently secured. The dyeing wheel ordisk would occur if a stationary dye absorbent material was provided for the yarn to periodically engage and wipe against.

When: for any reason it becomes necessary to remove acunit "and replaceit with another, the winding machine is stopped, the particular cover plate 4 associated with the unit to be replaced is place, and the screws passing through the lateral turned portion 1 of the support 6 for the dyeing unitare Withdrawn, freeing the unit for removal. This is readily done by moving the unit extends upwardly through the openings 3 and 5 a short distance above the upper side of the tube and around its peripheral portionsa length of felt or other absorbent fabric is secured to absorb dye from the dye supply which is carried in the tubular reservoir I at least to a height such that the lower portion of the disk II is submerged therein.

At the opposite side of the enlarged part 9 of the rotating shaft a stem l2 extends opposite to the part I on which a small diameter sprocket wheel [3' is mounted and fixedly secured. The

.head l4 bears against and clamps the wheel I3 against the end of the enlarged portion 9'of the shaft in any suitable manner. For example, in detail, the head I4 might be the head of a screw which has a shank threaded into the part [2 for purposes of assembly and clamping.

On each of the legs 5 of the support a second sprocket wheel or the like is mounted for rotation. A stud IS with an enlarged portion IS. on which the sprocket wheel I! is mounted for free rotation is secured at the lower part of the leg 6, the wheel I! being directly below its associated wheel [3 on the same support 6 and bearing at one side against a disk l8 integral with thestud and at one end of the part l6. From the part 4 iii a threaded section l9 extends to receive a nut which may be screwed thereon against the end of said part It leaving the sprocket wheel I! free for idle movement.

In the length of the reservoir l a plurality of z a the units are mounted each being detachable by removing the screws holding its respective cover plate 4 and those which pass through the part I of the dyeing unit support.. All of the upper wheels [3 will be in alinement as are also all of c the lower wheels H. An endless driving chain, indicated at 2|, passes at its upper run over the upper wheels l3 and at its lower run over the upper sides of the idlers l'l. Said chain at one end is carried around a suitable wheel 22 mounted on a fork 23 at one end of a threaded stem 24 which passes through one of the closing end caps 2 for the reservoir l and receives a nut 25 as in Fig. 1. At the other end of the'tube the drive chain 2| passes around a sprocket wheel 26 connected and associated with which is a worm wheel 21 driven by a worm 28 on a shaft 29 mounted in a suitable bearing 30 as shown. The shaft 29 extends through the opposite closing cap 2 of the reservoir tube and may be continuously i laterally and somewhat downwardly to disconnect the sprocket Wheels l3 and I1 from the chain drive whereupon the unit is taken out bodily. Another is then put in place and secured by the screws used for such purpose, the cover plate 4 re-attached and the winding and dyeing machine is ready for continued operation. The entire operation of removal and replacement takes but a short time.

The construction described is of simple and practical form and with it there is secured the very desirable aving of time which has been a disadvantage of previous constructions when it was necessary to remove'one of the dyeing units and replace it by another, for example, in the construction of the Coleman Patent No. 1,583,577. The industry of random dyeing yarn inaugurated by the Ainsworth patents, one of which is previously mentioned, has operated under this handicap for many years. The present invention not only reduces such time of removal and replacement to a few minutes compared to a previous two or three hours time required, but the construction is simple and economical and less expensive than previous constructions of dyeing units which have been used.

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

Having fully described the invention what is claimed and desired to be secured as Letters Patent is as follows:

1. A dyeing unit adapted to be inserted into an opening in the upper part of a dye holding reservoir including, a support havinga vertical leg, means at the upper end of said support for detachably connecting it to the reservoir, and a rotatably mounted dye carrying disk mounted on said leg at one side thereof, means for rotatably mounting said disk on the leg including a shaft to which the disk is connected, said shaft passing through the leg, and means on the shaft at the opposite side of the leg adapted to be engaged to turn the shaft and rotate said disk.

2. In a construction of the class described, a support comprising a vertical leg portion and a laterally turned portion at the upper end thereof adapted to be located against the upper side of a tubular dye reservoir and be detachably connected with said reservoir with the leg extending therein through an opening in the upper portion of the reservoir, a shaft extending through and mounted transversely of said leg at the upper portion thereof, a disk having dye absorbing means thereonconnected with one end of the shaft at one side of said vertical leg and adapted at its upper portion to extend through and above the opening in the reservoir, and a driven member connected to the shaft'at the opposite side of said vertical leg, adapted to be engaged and driven by a driving means for turning said shaft and disk about the axis of the shaft.

3. A construction containing the elements in combination defined in claim 2, a stud secured to said leg at the lower portion thereof and a second driven member rotatably mounted on said stud directly below said first driven member, combined with endless driving means engaging with said driven members at the upper sides thereof.

4. In a construction of the class described, an

elongated tubular reservoir having a plurality of spaced openings in the upper side thereof, a dyeing unit at each opening, each comprising a vertical support extending downwardly through the opening into the reservoir and having means at the upper end portion thereof for detachable connection with the reservoir, a dye disk mounted on each of said vertical supports and located at a side thereof, each extending at its upper portion through its associated opening in the reservoir, a shaft mounted on each support on which the disk is secured at one side of the support, a driven member connected to the shaft at the opposite side of the support, an idler member mounted on the support directly below the driven member, and an endless driving means having upper and lower runs, the upper run passing over and engaging with said driving means for the disks and the lower run passing over and engaging with said idlers.

5. A construction containing the elements in claim 4, combined with means for continuously driving said endless driving means mounted at one end of said reservoir, means adjustably mounted at the opposite end of the reservoir around which the driving means passes and means for adjusting said last adjustably mounted means to tighten the driving means.

6. In a construction of the class described, an elongated tubular reservoir closed at both ends having a plurality of spaced openings in the upper portion thereof in the length of the reservoir,

an individual dyeing unit inserted through each opening into the reservoir including a support detach'ably connected with the reservoir and a dye carrying disk rotatably mounted'on said support, disconectible endless driving means for simultaneously rotating all of said disks, wheels one adjacent each end of the reservoir around which said endless driving means passes, means for adjustably mounting one of said wheels for tensioning the driving means, and means for continuously driving the other of said wheels.

'7. In a construction of the class described, an elongated tubular dye reservoir closed at both ends and having a plurality of spaced openings in the upper side thereof in the length of the reservoir, a dye unit inserted through each opening into the reservoir, each unit including a vertical supporting leg and a laterally turned section at the upper end thereof to bear against the upper side of said reservoir adjacent a side of its respective opening, means for detachably securing said laterally turned section to the reservoir, a shaft rotatably mounted on and extending through each of said vertical legs of said supports, a dye carrying disk mounted at one end of the shaft and at its upper portion extending through its respective opening above said reservoir, a sprocket wheel secured to the shaft at the opposite side of said leg, a second sprocket wheel mounted for free movement at the lower portion of said leg and directly below the first sprocket wheel, an endless chain extending from one end of the reservoir to the other end havin its upper run passing over and engaging the first mentioned sprocket Wheels at their upper sides and the lower run passing over and engaging the upper sides of said idler sprocket wheels, additional sprocket wheels one adjacent each end of the reservoir around which the chain passes, and means for continuously driving one of said additional sprocket wheels.

8. A construction containing the elements in combination defined in claim '7, the other of said additional sprocket wheels having a mounting at the adjacent end of the reservoir including athreaded stem passing through the end of the reservoir, a nut at the outer end of said stem, and a fork at the inner end of the stem upon which said sprocket wheel is rotatably mounted.

. JANE F. EMERSON, Executrix of the Estate of Arthur J. Emerson,

Deceased. 

